The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-06

men who are induced to go TO the Congo
region in the self-supporting missionary
scheme will be very lacking in the
shrewdness which should be necessary
to their work there IL they do not also take
advantage of the business opportunities which
present themselves. and either buy land to hold
part of their energies to tillng the soil trad
ing with the natives. The resources OF the
Congo district are not entirely such as make
the ideal FL Dorado, or such as attracted thou
sands and thousands to California in 1849. 1t is
true that there are indications OF vast min eral
wealth there that may some day be developed,
but after all the main thing which makes the
Congo district attractive to the man of pioneer
spirit is the fertility of it's soil There is region
there suitable for wheat growing that is unex-
celled in quantity and geographical extent in the
world. The nature of the soil is such that all
kinds of edible fruits and vegetables grow with
the least amount of tilling and care. Labor is
incredibly cheap, and the necessities OF life
both as regards food and shelter, are
obtained with ridiculous ease. The one
thing against the Congo district is its
climate but Bishop Taylor and the explorers
have shown again and again that this is not an
objection that is insurmountable, or that is
really very serious. The main thing that Amer
leans and Europeans have to encounter In the
climate is the veto il makes upon the of
strong drinks and also upon oyerwork. Now
this latter objection might not seem at all seri-
Gus at first but when it is considered that
Americans in the habit of doing their work
in the middle of the day with great energy, it
will be seen that they will have TO change their
methods of life very much in central Africa;
because there in the middle of the day they
must cease their work aud devote all their en-,
ergies to the morning and evening The climate
is such that one must not use alcoholic liquors
at all; and those who have gone there and per-
ished from the terrible African fevers have
usually contracted the fever from very
moderate dissipation. Everything has been
done by the projectors of the Congo Free State
to make the country attractive 20 business-like
pioneers. Il is noted that the authorities of this
state extended the most cordial welcome to
Bishop Taylors missionaries and provided them
with every means in their power to establish
themselves. They recognized. of course, that a
missionary whose plan it is to support himself
is much greater acquisition to the country
than the missionary whose income is derived
from contributions raised at home. The
thing that is lacking in the Congo district to
been its means of transportation, but this lack
is rapidly being made up. There to-day
fourteen steamers on the Upper Congo and the
work of constructing them is still going on.
Plans are already made for railway to connect
the Upper Congo with the the Lower by a route
that shall traverse the banks of the river for
about $50 miles, along which there are numer-
rapids which prevent navigation. The natives
all along the river and its tributaries from Stan
ley Pool to distance OF over 1000 miles into
the interior have become accustomed to
white men and their ways: and the
chiefs of the numerous tribes thereabouts are in
accord with the white men and ready
operate in all plans that tend to the DEVELOPMENT
of the country. 1t is possible there, and will be
for many years. to pick up fortune in a COM
parativey short time by doing nothing further
than trade with the natives. The articles to be
exported that obtained in this way include
all such things as ivory, minerals, hides and
fruits. It is perfectly clear then that men with
a pioneer spirit who have any business sense at
all will be able to make themselves very COM
Portable before they have been settled in the
State for five years. From the letters which
missionaries have written home within two
years it is clear that many of them realize that
it is possible. to say nothing further. One of
them has, even in addition to his little farm,
from which he is supposed to derive his self
support, set up a store and gone into trading,
and there may be many others who will do like
wise.
1t is with no disrespect to Bishop Taylor that
the Methodsts considering whether it is
we'll to extend the authority of their church to
men who will enrich themselves out of the mis-
sionary fund. Great care has been taken to
select only such people for the work as are GER
tainly endowed with the religious spirit, and
whose aim is only to make converts to Christian
ity. But the experience of the past has shown
that in such bands of workers the business man
will find his place; and a few of the troubles In
the very Congo region, those which have
brought down slaughter upon the Europeans,
have been caused by the too shrewd operations
OF authorized missionaries. Stanley himself
has told about party of missionaries who
tracted to build boat, and who, when the work
was completed, refused to pay for the work. To
put II in the mildest way, there a misunder-
standing about the terms, but the missionaries